Union 6 Pence

The Union 6 Pence, minted from 1923 to 1960, contained 1.35 grams of pure silver in its initial issues, a precise holdover from imperial standards that made it weigh heavier in the pocket than its modest value suggested.

That silver content lasted until 1947, when wartime demands and rising metal prices prompted a switch to cupro-nickel for the rest of the series. The obverse bore the British monarch's portrait, reflecting South Africa's Dominion status, while the reverse featured the Union coat of arms—a shield with a wagon and lions. Variations exist, like the 1931 issue with a slightly different edge lettering, but records for exact mintages are spotty after a fire at the Pretoria archives in the 1940s.

I've turned over enough of these in three decades to know they're straightforward coins, not the legendary artifacts some enthusiasts claim. As for that 1923 first-year piece, it's rarer than a polite debate in a coin club.